How to handle a counteroffer

Once you have handed in your resignation there is a period of time when management will be thinking about the impact your resignation will have on the business.  They may even try to get you to stay in your current job to maintain the status quo.  However, it is important to consider the pros and cons and evaluate the new internal offer as carefully as the external one. Which one makes the best use of your skills and will move your career in the direction you want? From our experience and that of the candidates we work with, a number of factors need to be kept at the forefront of your mind before you accept that counteroffer ...

•    When your employer knows that you have conducted interviews elsewhere, you show that you have the potential to be disloyal to the company. You risk no longer      being seen as a member of the team and being the first one out the door if there is an internal reorganisation.

•    When your employer replaces you after six months and ‘lets you go’, it’ll be harder to turn them around than it was for them to turn you around.

•    Accepting a counter offer rarely changes the factors that drove you to look for a new job in the first place.

•    Where is the money for the counter offer coming from? Is it your next pay rise early?

•    80% of employees that accept a counteroffer leave within six months and 90% within a year.

•    What type of a company do you work for if you have to threaten to resign before they give you what you’re worth?

•    If you’re worth your increased salary and responsibilities, why wasn’t this recognised before you handed in your notice?

•    Why are they paying it to you now? It’s because it’s easier and cheaper for them to keep you for the time being, while they sort the problem out.

Although a counteroffer may be very attractive in terms of salary, your dissatisfaction with internal management, limited opportunities for advancement or lack of recognition by your superiors may not go away. The counter-offer would therefore be a temporary consolation and your dissatisfaction would return a few months later. In these circumstances, it is better to move to a new employer and refuse the counter-offer.

If your dissatisfaction was only with the salary conditions, the counter-offer might be a good option to consider. However, the trust with your employer will have been weakened.

Our recruitment teams across the globe are on hand to talk and support you through the process of moving from one job to another as there are many challenges to overcome.  So, do not hesitate to review our comprehensive list of jobs on the Antal.com and reach out to us for more information.